01 Aug 2006 depart LA - Buenos Aires
 

Hi, I'm a 24 year old british guy looking for people to share legs of the journey with (this sounds like a 'personal' ad, doesn't it...) Not in any hurry, particularly from ecuador south to BA on pan am highway. Would like to get there late october - november, after a lot of fun.

Any takers? I'm currently in LA for work (i'm a cameraman), looking for a used transalp honda or similar (650ish size) -No luck so far at all! in fact if anyone has advice on california dealers...:confused1:

Cheers
Alex

Hey mate, I don't fancy your luck with the Transalp, they're a bit rare around these parts. I think your best bet with a California road legal bike might be a DR650 or a KLR. I'll be happy to help you look and I'd love to go for a few prep rides with you. I'm on a DRZ and I'm contemplating a trip of my own so speaking with someone of a like mind might well get my motivation up. Email me at cphoto98@hotmail.com Good luck!
Chris

DR - perfect!
 

Hi I saw quiet a lot of people in Costa Rica on DR 650 SE - Irented one there it is the perfect bike for everything!!! I had a Transalp, but the DR is a lot tougher!!! Good for Overland OFF Road trips! I did South America on a 86 Tenere, but next time perhaps I would prefer the DR 650 SE or even DR 350!

GO for the wild things! Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia! And the Yungas - lots of rivers to cross- Best trip of my life!

Have fun - Jens

thanks both, i've been looking at klr.s already and they seem to be possibly the most 'ready-to-go' option, with 6.1gal tank and kawasaki made saddlebags etc... the others i've been considering are the xt600 yam and xrl650 honda -but i've now checked out the suzuki and it looks pretty good too. all these three have small tanks, but i'm told you can fit a desert tank without breaking the bank. as someone who barely knows what i'm doing though this might be asking for trouble..? or is it an easy/cheap job?

el aleman- what's your opinion on these other bikes compared to the dr650?

chris -prep ride sounds good, i'll email you

I'm looking to head the same direction this summer. I'm 24 years old born and raised in Northern California. I cant PM yet so shot me an email. Psilocybes@gmail.com

Leaving in August
 

I'm planning to leave on the first week of August as well. let's talk maybe we can do part of the trip together. I'm half Italian and half from Nicaragua. I speak fluent spanish, drive a BMW 650 Dakar, and 26 y/o. my website is www.salcar.net
Best,
Salvador

Salcar -I've been to your website but can't find an email address to contact you on! You can reach me at getalexfr at hot mail dot com, and like you say, let's talk and maybe we can do part of the trip together. I've just bought a KLR650 for the trip, by the way, which feels pretty good. A bit of a humungous vibrator on wheels (it's a single), but good.:thumbup1: I think a sheepskin on the seat would be a good move.
alex

hey all,
When in Mexico what rout will you be taking. If you come down Baja drop me a line. Im in LaPaz (this is the place to take the ferry over to the mainland) and would love to meet up, show yousome great local roads, offer shelter or any advice.
Have a great trip,
Kevin

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/mcy/163314965.html
 

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/mcy/163314965.html

Here's a TransAlp up in my 'hood, check it, a solid bike for the trip, model I mean, I'm not sure of this specimen... I am planning on trip South around the same time and have looked at ALOT of bikes and have been researching all of it ad nauseum, but the KLR is always where I end back at. Reliability, cheap maintnence, ease of maint, parts availability, a few extra dollars to RTW'ize it, low profile (don't look pretentious, the "ugly rich guy"), proven RTW track record, and most important disposibility in case things go horribly wrong and you have to bail for whatever reason ($3-5K not 2-3x's that ie. later BMW, KTM etc... not that there is anything wrong with these bikes before I get blasted) Got any firm plans yet? Let me know... -Shane

Very, very kind! Thanks for the offer; I may well be coming down Baja, but haven't firmed up the route yet. If so I'll give plenty of warning.

I'm definitely leaving early in august (my visa waiver runs out, so that's when it's gotta be!) and meandering southwards. Looking at route specifics as of now. I will be ferrying/flying around columbia as i'm choosing to 'believe the hype' on this occasion about banditos, although from experience it is almost certainly more safe than made out. Also not going into brazil on this trip 1>because i don't speak portugese 2>because i'm already packing in a shedload into (roughly) 4 months.

Thanks for the info on the transalp -I can't afford to feel regret however, as the KLR is sitting outside already, and apart from a tinkling noise that is driving me INSANE, which i can't locate, it is running beautifully. Which reminds me, I must go and post in the KLR forum about annoying tinkles.
alex

Nice meeting you
 

hi alex.. it was great meeting and talking to you. I wish i was travelling with you.. wyomex

hey dude good to meet you too! what a nice mechanic that guy was, eh? hopefully you'll make it to antigua later in the year on your spanking new bm..:scooter:
a

Hermosillo MX
 

are you one your way south yet? I´m currently in Hermosillo. My tentative route is below. It is extremly flexible - i just made up one so i can try to find places to stay in advance. Also, don´t pay attention to the days it was just to get a rough estimate on how long it would take to cross Mexico. My cell number is MX is 6621907743. I´ll be able to start receiving calls tomorrow afternoon. if we can´t meet in mexico maybe we can meet somewhere south :thumbup1:


Day 1
From Nogales to Hermosillo through express way 15 (277 km/172 mi)

Day 2 & 3
From Hermosillo to Cajurichlo through principal highway 16 (418 Km/260 mi)
From Cajurichlo to Creel through principal highway 22 (130 km/81 mi aprox)

Day 4
From Creel to San Francisco del Oro through secondary highway (350 km/217 mi aprox)

Day 5, 6 & 7
From San Francisco del Oro to Durango through principal highway 45 (463 km/287 mi)
From Durango to Zacatecas through principal highway 45 (271 km/168 mi)

Day 8 & 9
From Zacatecas to San Felipe through principal highway 51 (243 km/151 mi)
From San Felipe to San Juan del Rio through principal highway 51 (211 km/131 mi aprox)

Day 10
From San Juan del Rio through Mexico City TBD (160 km/100 mi aprox)

Spend 10-15 days
From Mexico City to Havana, Cuba by airplane

Day 11 & 12
From Mexico City to Oaxaca through principal hwy 160 (470 km/292 mi aprox)

Day 13
From Oaxaca City to Puerto Escondido through principal hwy 131 (343 km/213 mi)

Day 14, 15 & 16
From Pto. Escondido to San Pedro Tepanatepec through principal hwy 200 (407 km/252 mi)

Day 17 & 18
From Sn. Pedro Tepanatepec to Guatemala TBD (500 km/310 mi aprox)
Total 4,243 km / 2,636 mi. Expecting to reach Guatemala late September.

aw, dude.. shame you´re not further along already. i raced through mexico as i found it the same price as the USA, and i´m doing this trip on a seriously tight budget. now in guatemala. my travelling buddy is stuck in la paz as he brought with him a photocopy of his bike ´title´, not the original... he´s waiting for it in the post, over a week later! poor sod. and poor me, as i´m now on my lonesome again :frown:
hopefully it´ll get there soon and he can catch me up somewhere where i can stay still cheaply.

anyone else on the gringo trail care to meet up for a stretch? setting off for C. Rica tomorrow, where i'll stay roughly a week, then panama to fly the bike to quito at the beginning of september. travelling buddy still sans title.